Mexican "Día de Los Muertos"/The Day of the Dead

Mexican "Día de
Los Muertos"/The Day of the Dead

–& Three
Cries for HELP

HAPPY is happy to host
Wellington's first truly international Day of the
Dead festival, to be held on Sunday 4th November, 7pm
– late, cnr Vivian and Tory St.

Originally celebrated at
the gravesites of loved ones, The Day of the Dead is
now celebrated in the home, the squares, the streets, the
cemeteries – and this year, even in Wellington! While
Mexico celebrates Día de Los Muertos every 2nd
November, availability dictated that we celebrate the
'after-death'...

The spirit of Janis Joplin will not
only HAPPY-ly walk the earth on November 4th but also belt
out her best between 8 and 9, through the medium of
Wellington band Channelling Janis.

International
acts include Mexican, flamenco and Belly dancers, African
drums, German and Mexican performance art and poetry, an
assortment of kiwi, Mexican and Cuban musicians, and even a
demonic puppet show. Face painting will be available for a
small fee, and Fancy Dead is encouraged.

In keeping with
tradition, altars commemorating the departed will be on
display, decorated with flowers and objects reminding the
living of the dead, such as photos and items they prized or
enjoyed while they lived, like favorite foods or drinks The
public is invited to bring along flowers, photos or other
objects to place on the altars, to entice their loved ones'
souls to return and party it up.

The proceeds from this
fundraising event will go to providing capacity-building
workshops for health promoters in autonomous Zapatista
communities the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, one of
the poorest in the country.

Unlike many indigenous
communities reduced to accepting government hand-outs, the
Zapatistas are committed to the peaceful development and
provision of their own health, education and justice
services, using members of their own communities speaking
their own indigenous languages. This requires training in
several technical areas.

We are doing our best to assist
the Caracol of La Garrucha in the health sector with this
important and essential work, by raising funds to enable
capacity-building workshops in 2008 for the 50 health
promoters of this zone.

Coming to HAPPY to
celebrate the Day of the Dead will HELP us
HELP the Zapatistas HELP
themselves!!

Life is like a flower thatbriefly
blossomsin the face of death that is
eternal.

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